OFW in Singapore Suffers Brain Aneurysm, Receives Help from Employer Who Paid Millions in Medical Bills

We’ve heard of so many overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) getting abandoned by their employers once they get sick or meet an accident even when it is work-related but there are still a number of kind-hearted employers who would do everything to save their worker’s life, even if it means spending a lot of money and going into debt themselves.

Take for example this wonderful employer from Singapore named Celine Lacouture who paid for the medical bills of Pinay domestic helper Riza Anne Bernabisa who suffered from aneurysm. Celine had to shell out hundreds of thousands of Singapore dollars (millions of Philippine pesos!) just to save Riza’s life but she did so without complaint.

According to Riza’s co-worker Jasmin, she was just preparing the things of her employer’s kid who was going to school when she noticed the other Pinay lying unconscious. It was lucky that their employer had just arrived at the time and was able to call an ambulance to bring Riza to the hospital.

Photo credit: GMA News

“I thought she was dying in my arms, right in front of me. And my children [were] just next to me. As a mother, I wanted to protect my kids but I have to save her life,” Celine recalled.

But Riza had suffered a life-threatening stroke and was in danger of losing her life if she couldn’t undergo a life-saving surgery as soon as possible. This surgery would cost S$100,000 (Php4 million), a huge amount of money the OFW didn’t have.

“My husband and I decided, we’re still young, we can still make money. But we have to save her life. That is the most important thing,” Celine revealed.

Photo credit: GMA News

The couple paid for Riza’s surgery. Riza also underwent two more surgeries. To date, she still needs S$77,000 (Php3 million) to pay for the hospital bills as her employer is already deep in debt after helping her out with the surgeries.

They are now appealing for help and doing fundraising activities so that Riza could finally get out of the hospital.

While they still have a long, difficult road ahead, netizens are praising Celine and her husband for sacrificing their own finances just to save the Pinay domestic helper’s life. God bless you both!